Speed enforcement is causing a stir in the village of Lucas with the addition of traffic enforcement cameras. One camera is located on 84 Lucas North Road, across from the playground at the elementary school. The other is located east of the intersection near Bond Street and East Main Street. There are mixed emotions throughout the community on this issue. Some think it’s a great idea, and some are not too happy about it.
The cameras were approved by the village council of Lucas in March 2013. Mayor Todd Hall said, “This is a very touchy subject. We chose to do this because of State Route 39 that goes through the village. There was a major speeding problem and we wanted to ensure safety in the community.”
Lucas is not the first village that has created a controversy over the enforcement cameras. Another small village in Ohio (Elmwood Place, population of 2,188) faces the same issue as Lucas. The residents of Elmwood Place were outraged by the placement of the cameras. Local business owners in the village complained that they were losing business due to the cameras because travelers would avoid going through the village to circumvent the cameras.
The cameras that were installed at Elmwood Place have generated close to $2 million for the village. Despite the revenue benefit, the cameras created a conflict with local business owners and drivers claiming that the village had become a ghost town as a result of the speed enforcement cameras. Many members of the community thought that the cameras were strictly in place to create revenue for the village.
Since Lucas is such a small village, the community receives assistance from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department to help patrol State Route 39. However, due to recent budget cuts within the Sheriff’s department patrols have had to be reduced, which has resulted in a lack of compliance to traffic laws, village officials asserted.
Lucas acquired the cameras from a company called, OptoTraffic that is based out of Lanham, Maryland. The tickets that are issued to speed violators are civil, not criminal. Criminal tickets can only be issued by a law enforcement official. Civil violations mean that a violator must pay a fine, but will not receive any points on their license and their insurance company will not be contacted.
Mayor Hall said, “The main people who have an issue with the cameras are travelers going through Lucas. However, we put these cameras in place to ensure the safety of the community. There are a lot of summer activities going on and I think it makes all the sense in the world to have one implemented in a school zone.” The cameras are portable and can be moved to different locations.
Some members of Lucas don’t have the same perspective on the cameras. Ron Fife, owner of Valley Sportswear, said, “I haven’t heard anything positive about the cameras. I don’t understand the purpose of it.” Rick Sauder, owner of the local bar Rainbow Gardens, stated, “I hear someone talking about it every day. I hear a lot of mixed emotions on the topic.” He did reveal that a number of his customers have received speeding tickets from the cameras, and they aren’t too happy about it. Neither owner said they have noticed a decline in business from the cameras being in place.
The cameras are discussed on social media with some critical responses. A Facebook page has generated considerable discussion over the issue.
Some residents have claimed that they noticed traffic moving cautiously, but some are just angry over the issuing of tickets. An issue Mayor Hall addressed was how some complaints have been related to the accuracy of the cameras. He said, “Some people have shared a concern with how this impacts their rights and the accuracy of the machine”. Mayor Hall said, “It’s better to be proactive, rather than reactive. We want to fix the problem with speeding before something bad would happen.”
